'Switched at Birth' season 5 premiere date not happening until New Year 2017?

Freeform

Back in March, "Switched at Birth" series creator Lizzy Weiss revealed that season 5 is going to be delayed to 2017. According to a recent report from the IBTimes, it is now speculated that the show is going to air its premiere episode by New Year's, Jan. 1, 2017, or the week after, on Jan. 8.

The report also confirms that "Switched at Birth" season 5 is going to be the final season for the show, leaving very little room left for new storylines to be introduced. Despite this, the show will have to address the sudden cliffhanger and time-jump that took place in the season 4 finale, where the girls were called back home after spending months in China.

According to the report, the first episode is going to be titled "The Call" and it is likely that the cliffhanger will be addressed immediately within the episode. The episode that follows is being directed by actor D.W. Moffett, who plays John Kennish, and is titled "This Has to Do With Me."

The episode titles have fans speculating that John and his wife Kathryn (Lea Thompson) might be getting a divorce and this is why the girls were called to go back home. Due to this potential storyline fans have wondered if Moffett is going to be around for the rest of the season and its finale.

Fortunately enough, the actor responded to fan questions on Twitter and recently confirmed that he is indeed staying for the duration of the show until its finale. He did not confirm if his character and Thompson's character are getting a divorce or if there is a different kind of issue at hand that forces the girls to come back from China.

"Switched at Birth" season 5 will officially end the series, bringing the show to an end. Freeform has yet to announce an official premiere date for the series.